One impact of the 1031-stepped up basis—estate tax reduction change is you have created a huge drain on revenue from the public sphere.

If you are here on Bigger Pockets you are definitely in the sphere of people I'm interested to hear about.

There are people like this in every sphere - overzealous guitar learners want to buy expensive amps and pedals to "sound better" rather than practice scales, people buying their first power tool can't "just get the drill" and so on. 

eXp's tech and the support I've received so far give me confidence that I'll do well, even moving to a new state where my only sphere of influence is about 10 family members.I completely agree that the MLM-style pitch is downright obnoxious. 

For the Provo units, we actually put almost 40% down (lower price point), as the more we put into the OZ, the bigger the tax break was.

The value of your personal sphere, formal and informal, cannot be overstated.  

With the MLS you have the listing agents entire sphere of influence being exposed to the property as well as the sphere of influence of every other realtor in the area.What is it that your friend dislikes about the listing agent?

Besides, these are people in your Sphere of Influence and most likely would like to hear from you.The second type of person will be your acquaintances, those people that you come in contact with on a daily or weekly basis but don’t really socialize with or know that well.The following is a list of that type of person.•bank teller•grocer•child’s school teacher•pest control technician•air conditioning tech•auto mechanic•person in your office complex •receptionist at your gym•postal carrier•gardener•parking attendant•computer techTalking to AcquaintancesYour acquaintances will not be as enthusiastic about referring people to you as your group of people who you know well.

Start micro and work your own sphere of influence and tell everyone you know you're looking to buy a distressed home.

GROW THE SPHERE OF INFLUENCE as well as your methods to finding those derivative deals....